The Weekend Report: April 8, 2012

Sink or Swim

The appetite for The Hunger Games continued with the hearty survivalists adding an estimated $33.7 million to take the weekend box office crown and push its cache to more than $300 million domestically.

The frame’s newcomers (so to speak) trailed in second and third positions. The belated Pie story American Reunion bowed to $21.4 million while the reconstituted Titanic buoyed to $17.4 million with the addition of 3D lifeboats.

On the Indian circuit the Hindi Houseful 2 cracked the top 10 with $722,000 at 121 venues while Telugu Racha displayed comparable strength with $273,000 at 41 locations. Niche release We the Party garnered a less than festive $34,500 at 59 sites.

On the exclusive front there was ample encouragement for the danceable Damsels in Distress with a $61,300 box office at four bandstands and the sly Italian import We Have a Pope grossed $30,600 at three vestries. Also strong was the Turkish spectacle Fetih 1453 (Conquest 1453) with a $31,200 box office from four screens. Conversely the non-fiction Comic-Con Episode IV didn’t get much geek love with a $7,100 gross at a trio of locations.

Weekend revenues added up to roughly $125 million to slip back 17% from seven days earlier and was 10% off of last year’s Easter weekend. However, it bumped up 6% from its calendar equivalent when the second weekend of Hop led the session with $21.2 million and newcomers Hanna and Arthur bowed respectively with $12.4 million and $12.2 million.

It’s been nine years since the American Pie franchise hit the big screen (there have been subsequent direct to disc editions). And rather like the Fast and Furious series getting the original cast back for American Reunion seemed like a potent re-boot at the brain storming sessions. Pundits pegged its opening potential in the low to mid $20 million range and the picture came in at the low end of prognostications.

Exit demos showed the film skewing slightly male with 51% and decidedly older 61% of the audience aged 25 years and older. International openings appeared more upbeat with an estimated $19.3 million in 28 territories including $5 million plus bows in Australia and Russia. Regardless, don’t expect the merry pranksters to be quickly renewed.

Reissues long ago ceased to be a significant part of the release schedule but with the added carrot of stereoscopic perspective and (secondarily) the centennial of its historic demise Titanic was primed for a new assault. About half of the domestic crowd was younger than 25 years old and while North American response was solid, international returns floated the boat to $35.5 million from an aggressive push in 53 nations.

The marquee continued to shrink with just seven pictures grossing in excess of $1 million and only Salmon Fishing in the Yemen demonstrating the slightest bit of crossover appeal. Bully added a screen but experienced a 37% decline. Even with its recent lowed classification it appears that strong armed tactics won’t get crowds into the multiplex for this worthy effort.